Aladdin’s Eatery – Spiciest Dish in Columbus Series

A whole new world…of heat.

Aladdin’s Eatery has long been a go-to for Meditteranean food in our household. Starting when we lived in Grandview and sticking with us since we’ve moved around Columbus, the flavors, meats and rice continue to be solid each time.

Though we’d had it many times before, this time around I needed to snag some sauce because hey, Aladdin’s Eatery hot sauce deserves to be somewhere on this list.

Typical order from me is a Flavor Savor Special, which is a little bit of everything, chicken mishwi and beef kafta on a bed of brown rice with vermicelli; served with greens, hummus, and falafel. I add to that extra hot sauce (2 is usually the right amount for this dish) and go from there. The Lady of the Farm on the other hand, ranging anywhere from the Chicken Sambusek to the Muhadara Plate, or Aladdin’s Favorite Combo.

A majority of the dishes come with pita and a garlic dipping sauce. The hummus is also quite good and while it comes with a lot of dishes, it may not hurt to snag an extra side of it. You can see from the above that we tend to roll with an order of falafel.

But, you are likely here to learn about the spiciness, so let’s get to it.

A dish so beige and so unphotogenic it’s hard to get a good sense of what the experience is like, but thankfully that’s why I’m here. While the colors may be a bit dull, Aladdin’s “hot sauce” is anything but. A secret recipe out of a Cleveland bakery (where their pita gets made), there’s a chonky thickness to it, making it great for pouring on top of rice, kafka, mishwi, or anything else.

First bite of sauce-loaded rice, there’s a hint of sweetness, a punch of garlic and then a zesty combo of jalapeños and likely another pepper or two that they wouldn’t reveal. Several bites in, the heat of the peppers is capable of inducing the tiniest of sniffles but will be an afterthought for many in this group. Heat is not the star here, but the complementary flavors, and I imagine the owners prefer it that way. Rumor has it you can get a 12oz bottle of this sauce, but I end up just grabbing one extra and that keeps the tiny sniffles rolling.

It’s not a top-50 heat, but for adding some oomph to a Mediterranean dish, Aladdin’s hot sauce does the trick. All things considered, we’re placing Aladdin’s Eatery at #91 on our list.

You can find Aladdin’s Eatery in four different locations around Columbus in Grandview, Clintonville, Worthington, and Powell.

Look below for more on our spiciest dish in Columbus series and hit us up if you have any suggestions that are not already on our list!

Recently featured in the Spiciest Dish in Columbus Series:

• Min-Ga [Bethel Rd.]
• Dirty Frank’s Hot Dog Palace [Downtown]
• Huli Huli [Powell]
• Little Palace [Downtown]
• Stadium: Hella Habanero [Gahanna]
• Nostalgia Brewing: Spicy BBQ Beef Brisket Mac n Cheese Skillet [Gahanna]

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